Influence of the deposition parameters on the synthesis of nanocomposite materials produced by pulsed laser deposition

Nanocomposite films formed by Cu nanocrystals (NCs) embedded in an amorphou s Al2O3 host have been produced by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The role of the laser fluence and the pressure of the Ar buffer gas, in the 10(-6)-1 0(-1) Torr range, on both the structural and non-linear optical properties of the nanocomposite films have been studied. The analysis of the structura l properties suggests that the nucleation and growth of the NCs occurs at t he substrate, even if the deposition takes place in a low pressure of Ar. T he non-linear optical response of the films is enhanced by increasing eithe r the density or the anisotropy of the NCs. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.